R. Ruggiero - Reckoning

At seven fifty seven they hadn’t made much progress. Huynh had agreed to two men for four ounces and the weapons.

“Let me have a second,” Cooper said to Huynh and huddled with Dranko.

“How much gold can you put to this?”

Dranko rubbed his chin. “It’s your son, brother. You can have it all if you need it.”

“How much do you have?”

“Ten ounces.” That was worth almost $20,000 before the Plague.

Cooper touched his shoulder, “Thank you.”

He clicked the handset. Seven fifty-eight. “I want to save us both busy men time. Here is my final offer; for six well-trained and well-armed men, I will give you six ounces of gold, a dozen M4s, and a heavy machinegun.”

Seconds ticked by in silence.

“Alright. You have a deal. I can have my men there by nine in the morning. Where shall they meet you?”

Dranko gave them the map coordinates for a road junction a half mile from his property.

Eight o’clock. Cooper mopped his brow with a rag and had Dranko begin turning dials to reach the station that Hodges was on.

Static. It hissed over the speakers as minutes ticked by. Cooper forced himself to take rapid, shallow breaths. He wanted to sound like he was on the verge of panic when Hodges came on. Dranko made a few attempt to raise Hodges on the radio and the only response was the disturbing scream of dead air. As the clock changed to 8:05, Cooper’s fear turned real. What did this mean?

He looked at Dranko, whose eyes were full of concern.

“Maybe he just wants to take you off guard?”

Cooper nodded, hoping, and kept up his practice of breathing quickly, so that he would sound out of breath.

“You there?” The voice actually startled him at 8:08. “Sorry I am late. I had a situation to deal with.” Hodges voice was flat, emotionless.

“I want my boy,” Cooper responded, deliberately sounding firm, but letting fear seep into his words.

“That’s easy. Just turn yourself in to me. I’ll release your boy to anyone you want.”

“What do you want me for? What would happen to me?” Cooper let a false panic rise in his throat.

Hodges laughed on the other end. “ I don’t care a bit for you. But, some people I know want you pretty badly. Bringing you in myself will not only give me a lot of money, but it will help my standing with them. They just want to question you. Probably have you take back the things you’ve said. Then, I’d guess you’ll be on your merry way.”

Cooper held back the scoff that leapt into his throat and instead played the part, “Yeah, sure. I just want my son to be safe. Can I talk to him?” Cooper’s voice quivered on the last words.

“Sorry, he isn’t with me.”

“How do I know he’s safe then?”

“You’ll just have to trust me.”

“OK,” Cooper gulped.

“Can we make arrangements to meet then?”

“Sure.”

“Tomorrow. Noon. At the Ranger station just outside of town.”

“Alright. I’ll be there. I want to warn you.”

“Warn me,” Hodges exclaimed indignantly.

“Yeah. You harm my son, and all hell will rain down upon you!” Cooper’s false bravado was pitch perfect.

“I have no desire to harm a hair on his head. You come in, nice and easy…he goes home nice and easy.”

The channel went back to ominous static.

Cooper leaned back in his chair and exhaled.

“You played that well, brother.”

Cooper pressed his fingers into his forehead, kneading the flesh.

“I guess so. Big day tomorrow, eh?”

“Indeed.”

Cooper rubbed his temples, “This is driving me crazy.”

“Yeah,” Dranko grunted sympathetically.

“I can’t believe Jake is in that bastard’s hands. How’d I let that happen?”

Dranko leaned in, bringing his face closer to Cooper’s, “Hey, now. Don’t go there. This ain’t your fault.”

“But…”

Dranko waved his hands dismissively, “But, nothing. You can’t carry him around in a backpack twenty-four seven. Can you?”

“I guess not,” Cooper said, unconvinced.

“This just happened.”

Cooper brought his eyes from the floor to look Dranko squarely in the eye, “It didn’t just happen.”

“What?” His friend asked, confused.

“I could have just kept my mouth shut about what I’d learned about the Brushfire Plague. Look at what’s it’s caused. More violence. Threatened war. Riots. Jake being kidnapped. It’s all a damned mess.” Cooper’s hands slid behind his head and he dug his fingers into his neck, massaging the tense muscles.

“Yeah, it’s a mess for sure.”

Cooper chuckled, “Thanks for making me feel better.”

“You didn’t let me finish. Yes, there’s been a high price for the truth getting out. But, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure. What?”

“Does water in a creek flow downhill?”

Cooper wrinkled his eyebrows, “I don’t see what…”

“Just answer the question,” Dranko demanded.

“Yes, it flows downhill.”

“Why?”

Cooper looked at him dumbly, “Duh. Because it has to. Physics.”

“And, does Cooper Adams tell the truth? Always. Even when it’s annoying and frustrating. Or stupid.”

He turned sheepish, “Yes, he does.”

“Why does he?”

Something swelled up from deep inside Cooper. Impotence at not being able to lie when it would help him so much. When it would help Jake. The hurt from what had happened to his father and his lost childhood. It ran together with the pain he now experienced watching the same thing happen to his son. A devilish froth of pain and rage overwhelmed him. His face flushed red, his jaw clenched, and his fist thundered onto the table. The ham radio bounced.

“Because I do. Because I’m trapped inside of this!” His hands motioned his body.

Dranko was surprised at his friend’s reaction, but let him go. Cooper stood up and paced the room in a wide circle. Dranko watched. Waiting. He knew him well enough that words would come.

After his fifth rapid cycle around the cramped basement room, Cooper stopped and looked at Dranko.

“I do have a choice, that’s the difference.”

“Do you really though, brother? Really?” Dranko stood so that he was at eye level.

“Hell, I don’t know. Maybe you’re right. But, it doesn’t help with how I’m feeling. I did all of this.

“What’d you say about Julianne?”

Dranko’s question stopped him cold, “What?”

“What’d you say to Julianne. Didn’t you say she made the best decision she could with the information she had?”

“Me or Angela said something like that. Yeah.”

“So, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“So, stop this baloney about guilt. You are who you are. You made the best decision you could. What more can be asked of any man?”

“To make the right decision.”

Dranko’s arms flew into the air, “You’re impossible.”

Cooper put his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “Thanks. It does help. Why don’t we get our gear set up for tomorrow?”

Dranko nodded and let his friend lead them upstairs to the main floor of the cabin.

As they prepared their equipment, Cooper whispered to his friend, “I wish I knew what was happening inside Jake’s head. He’s been on a roller coaster these last few weeks. Sometimes he sounds like a grizzled, emotionless, and cynical war veteran. Other times I see the little boy like nothing has happened.”

Dranko’s eyes shined with concern for his friend, “Yeah, he’s been through a lot.”

“I just wish I knew how this was affecting him and how it’s going to turn out.” Cooper’s hands grasped his head before he continued, “I mean, he’s seen so much death and destruction. My God, he couldn’t even have time to properly grieve his mother’s death yet. What’s going to happen to his mind? ”